What Are Friends For?
by JellyBeanDiva
Summary: Flack and Lindsay have a great relationship... with just a few bumps in the road. But can they survive a bump named Danny?
1. Shower for Two

_This is just a story that I've had bouncing around in my head. I'm posting as I go, and I know it's not my best writing… but enjoy!_

* * *

Flack awoke late in the morning lying feeling refreshed and as if he was tethered to the bed. He looked around the covers and noticed that even though he was lying over to one side of the bed, Lindsay was draped diagonally across the bed and his legs and chest. Flack looked at Lindsay and smiled seeing Lindsay sleeping peacefully. He didn't get up, as was his original intent, but instead lay under the covers and then slowly inched closer to Lindsay until her body was firmly pressed against his.

Lindsay felt Flack's arm tighten around her waist, and mumbled, "'Morning."

"Good morning, Linds." Flack started to get up, but Lindsay's body wrapped around his even tighter, keeping him in bed. "You're still hogging my side of the bed."

Lindsay didn't say anything; she simply smiled and nuzzled her head deeper into Flack's chest, her hands lazily drawing circles on his chest.

After a moment Flack finally said, "You know, Mac is gonna send Danny or Stella to come and break the door down soon if we don't get going."

"Probably." Lindsay said, trailing kisses from Flack's lips, down his chest. In one quick movement, Flack flipped Lindsay onto her back and took control of the kissing. After a minute he stopped.

"Come on." Flack said, freeing himself from Lindsay's grasp. "We have cases to solve."

Lindsay sighed. "Oh, alright."

Climbing out of bed, Lindsay headed for Flack's shower. Flack watched in awe for a moment and then stood up and started to follow her into the bathroom.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Lindsay said, turning to face Flack and stopping him in the doorway.

"We can save time by showering together." Flack said with grin.

"What?" Lindsay chuckled in amusement.

"Aw, come on. It's not like we haven't done it before. In the four months that we've been together, we've taken nine showers together – we've just never done it to save time. Please?" He stuck out his bottom lip and tried his best to look pitiful.

"You're a freak, you know that? I can't believe you keep track of things like that." Lindsay joked.

"But I'm your freak and you love me." Flack said, stepping closer to Lindsay.

"Come on, lover boy…like you said, we're late for work." Lindsay smiled as she pulled him into the shower.

* * *

Traffic wasn't too bad as Flack and Lindsay made their way to work. Flack was driving, having decided to drop Lindsay off at the lab before heading in to check his assignments. With the light traffic and the time saved in the shower, it looked as if the duo was going to be on time for their shifts.

"You were brilliant with your shower idea this morning, we're going to be on time." Lindsay said triumphantly from the passenger's seat. A mischievous grin spread over her face. "Maybe we should do that more often."

Flack smiled from the driver's seat. His smile quickly turned to a scowl as he started talking. "Yeah, we should definitely do it again." Flack said, his voice now dripping with sarcasm. "It was great. Right up to the point where you doused me with their girly green apple crap that you use. Now I'm gonna smell like an orchard all day."

"Do you really know what an orchard smells like?" Lindsay asked skeptically.

"Whatever. All I know is that anyone standing within two feet of me is going to tease me about smelling girly." Flack complained.

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, cowboy." Lindsay said with a smile.

"Whatever you say. Here you are. See you later?" Flack said, pulling the car up in the lab's parking lot.

"Thanks. Maybe I'll see you sooner than later." Lindsay said, leaning over towards Flack and capturing his lips with hers.

"Don't worry about me _too_ much." Flack said, his voice a mix of sarcasm and sincerity.

"Well, I'd rather be with you and worry, than not be with you and not worry." Lindsay said warmly, but seriously. She leaned over and grazed Flack's lips quickly with hers before opening the car door. "I'll see you around."

Lindsay hopped out of Flack's car and all but bounded into the lab, leaving Flack to chuckle at her excitement before he headed to work.


	2. Don't Worry

_DistractedlyHere - It's funny... I always thought of myself as a DL person, but I really do love FL too!_

_most excellent - In the beginning I really didn't mean for this to be a continuation of Right Under My Nose... but it just kind of morphed into that._

* * *

Later, Flack was pleasantly surprised to find he was working a crime scene with Mac and Lindsay. He'd take any chance he could get to spend time with his girlfriend. The call had been a DB in the stairwell of a building. Flack had arrived characteristically prior to Mac and Lindsay.

"It's quite a shindig." Lindsay said, seeing the block party in full swing.

"Sunday block parties. Springtime in New York City." Flack said, grinning at Lindsay.

**"**Right in the middle of the street, huh?" Lindsay said. Flack thought she sounded naïve and innocent, and that made her so cute.

**"**What do they have up in Montana?" Flack asked. Lindsay didn't even have to look at Flack to see the teasing smile on his face.

"Wyoming." Lindsay answered matter of factly.

Flack, Lindsay and Mac walked into the building, proceeding to its stairwell.

"Security guard." Flack started. "Most likely stabbed to death."

Flack and Mac continued talking out plausible scenarios while Lindsay began processing the area. Lindsay stepped cautiously over the body while she took photographs. She could hear Flack rattling off facts and statements to Mac without pausing for a breath.

"There may be some other…" Mac began to say to Lindsay.

"Yeah, I'll go back to the van and get the stuff." Lindsay replied as if she had read Mac's thoughts. Wordlessly, Flack smiled and took pride in his girlfriend's expertise.

Lindsay walked back through the block party and to the van. She was rummaging around in the back, looking for the exact piece of equipment that she needed when Mac's call came in.

There was a bomb in the building. She needed to clear the street.

Lindsay didn't stop to think about the situation, she simply sprang into action. She called in the bomb. She flashed her badge. She cleared the area. It was when the dust cleared and she picked herself up off the sidewalk that she began to panic about Flack.

Calls to Flack and Mac were futile. There was no answer. Lindsay knew that she needed to work and do her job. Flack's life depended on it, but it was getting harder and harder to focus.

When Stella, Hawkes and Danny arrived, Danny was the first to notice. He noticed the gash on her forehead first, and then how she was just barely holding things together.

"You okay, Linds?" Danny asked.

She simply brushed him off with a simple "Yeah."

All Lindsay could think about was getting Flack out of that building.

Hours later all Lindsay would remember hearing was someone yelling, "They're bringing them out."

Everyone ran over to where the EMT's were meeting the stretchers exiting the bomb site. Lindsay couldn't seem to run fast enough and was the last to sprint over. As Danny and Hawkes moved aside to let her through, Lindsay caught site of Mac. He was covered with dust, dirt, debris and blood. Her eyes met his and Mac couldn't hold her questioning gaze. Where was Flack?

Lindsay saw Flack. She saw his wounds and how the color and life had drained from his face and she couldn't believe this was happening to them. His words from earlier in the day echoed in her head… _Don't worry about me too much_.

The gurney and EMT's began moving before Lindsay really had a chance to realize it. She was shaken out of her trance by Danny's hands on the back of her shoulders. Lindsay shook her head slightly and looked around.

"Go." Danny said quietly into her ear.

Lindsay climbed into the ambulance and held on tightly to Flack's hand as she sat down next to him.

The ride to the hospital was a blur. Beeping. Cutting. Yelling. Radios. Bumps. Pushing. Suddenly, they had arrived and Lindsay found herself standing in the middle of the emergency room being wrenched away Flack. She didn't want to let his hand go, but somewhere in the background there was a hospital worker saying, "Detective, there's nothing more you can do for him. You have to leave him. You'll just have to wait."

Lindsay sank into a chair and began to simply wait.


	3. Fluttering Open

All Lindsay had been doing was waiting. Waiting for the team to arrive. Waiting for the doctors. Waiting for Flack to wake up. Two days later she was still waiting.

Lindsay gasped as she saw Flack's eyelids flutter slightly. This was the first sign of movement and life that she had seen from him. It had been two days and he had been laying silently and still – no movement, no sounds, other than the rise and fall of his chest and the steady beep of the machines around him.

Her eyes were now focused on his eyelids, more specifically on his eyelashes. Lindsay began to think that her mind was beginning to play tricks on her. Maybe she hadn't seen his eyes begin to open. She had been at the hospital for a little over 48 hours now. The only time she had left was when Danny offered her a ride home so she could grab a change of clothes and return to the hospital to be with Flack.

Lindsay continued to stare, unconsciously holding her breath and watching Flack's thick eyelashes for any sign of movement. And then, Lindsay noticed it again. A ripple of movement moved through his lashes and then underneath his eyelids. As if he were prying them open from the inside, Flack's eyes slowly opened. Lindsay could tell from the look on his face that he was disoriented and confused, scared even.

Lindsay stood up next to the bed and leaned over Flack gently, taking care not to touch him except for her hand that firmly held his.

"Hey." Lindsay said in a hushed tone, a warm smile spreading across her face.

Flack opened his mouth to talk, but his voice came out as a scratchy mumble. The moment he realized he couldn't talk, panic took over. Flack's eyes darted from Lindsay, around the room and then back to Lindsay.

Lindsay recognized Flack's panic and tenderly put her hand on the side of his head, grazing his soft hair.

"Hey, don't worry. You had a tube down your throat. I'm sure it's hard to talk. Let's get you some water and see if that helps, okay?" Lindsay said reassuringly to Flack. Flack blinked his eyes a few times, the look of panic and confusion not really fading from his face.

Lindsay brought a straw to Flack's lips and he slowly drank a few drops of water. A bit of the water managed to trickle down Flack's lips and onto his chin. Lindsay bent over gently, one hand on the bed to support her weight, and wiped the stray drops away. The sudden movement in the bed caused Flack to move, bringing a wave of pain in his chest. As the pain hit its climax, Flack reflexively took a deep breath, causing him to choke on his water and sputter and cough, attempting to dislodge the stray water droplets from his throat.

The sudden coughing, sputtering and pain threw Lindsay as she jumped back from the bed. It scared Lindsay to see Flack in such pain and struggling to breath. Flack's coughing was more like a dry scratching and wheezing through his dry throat. Flack squeezed his eyes tightly shut to fight off the pain.

The coughing subsided and soon Flack's body was still again. Lindsay stepped closer to the bed, taking his hand in hers again.

"You have to stop scaring me like that." Lindsay whispered. She still stood over Flack so he could see her fully.

"Didn't mean to." Flack said hoarsely. Lindsay brought the straw back to Falck's lips and he took another sip of water, this time without incident. "How long have you been here?"

"Since the explosion." Lindsay said honestly. She could see by the look in Flack's eyes that he wanted to know how long _he_ had been in there, so she continued. "I've been here for the last two days. Mac gave me some time off."

"Oh." Flack said quietly, his eyes looking down at nothing in particular. "Thanks, Linds."

"For staying by your bedside or trying to kill you with the water? Which one?" Lindsay said, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Both." Flack said, attempting a smile. Instead his lips pulled into a straight line. He gently squeezed Lindsay's hand just as his eyelids closed again, becoming still, and allowing him to drift into a deep sleep.

Lindsay sank back into the chair that she had stationed next to Flack's bed and sighed a deep sigh of relief. Closing her own eyes, she could feel them burn with exhaustion and spent tears before opening them again. Lindsay took Flack's moment of peace to go talk to his doctors and call in to the lab and inform them of the latest developments.


	4. Get Out of Here

"Danny?" Flack asked with a scratchy voice. It was three days after he had woken up and Danny had been in his room for a few minutes now while Lindsay was out using the restroom and talking to the doctors, but those minutes had been restless. Danny seemed to be fidgeting, his eyes scanning and meeting everything – except for Flack's gaze. "You're driving me crazy. Could you please tell me what's going on?"

"Don, I don't want to worry you man, but I you gotta do something." Danny said quietly. Danny looked at Flack while he talked, but his stolen glances at the door couldn't be missed.

"I don't know if you've realized it, Messer, but I'm in the hospital right now…there's not a lot I can do." Flack said, attempting to lighten the mood in the room.

"Since when did a hospital bed stop you?" Danny joked back. Danny glanced back into the hallway, glimpsing Lindsay walking through the corridors. "Seriously, Don… You gotta talk to Lindsay. Convince her to go home and sleep, get her to leave the hospital and eat, you gotta do something. She hasn't really left your room for five days, let alone left the hospital. She's worrying me."

"What, Danny? Can't handle the fact that I have a girlfriend who cares?" Flack joked, attempting to steer the conversation around the subject that he had been thinking about too. Flack looked at Danny, who had dropped his gaze to the floor and was running his hands through his hair. Flack sighed. "I'll see what I can do."

Lindsay, Flack and Danny had been hanging out and keeping each other company for an hour or so. It mostly consisted of Danny and Flack arguing over the Yankees and Mets and Lindsay smiling and shaking her head at the two of them. Suddenly the door opened and Flack's doctor and a nurse walked in.

"Alright, Detective, I'm going to need to lift your gown and check your wound." The doctor said, motioning for the nurse to join him at Flack's bedside.

Lindsay stepped to the side to let the nurse pass, but showed no signs of leaving the room. Danny looked at Flack, saw the look of discomfort on his face, and began to back out of the room.

"Hey, Montana, why don't we go get some dinner?" Danny suggested.

Flack watched Lindsay and saw that she didn't intend to respond to Danny.

"Linds, why don't you get out of here for a while, huh?" Flack suggested.

"I don't know… I'm fine here." Lindsay stared at Flack, attempting to read him.

"Lindsay, get out of here. Go ahead and grab some dinner with Danny. I'm not going anywhere." Flack reassured her with a smile.

From behind, Lindsay felt Danny grab her hand and tug gently in the direction of the door. Flack hated to do this to her, but he knew that she needed to get out for a bit and would never do it on her own. He could see how her shoulders slumped the minute Danny had grabbed her hand.

Lindsay didn't want to leave, but it seemed to be what everyone else wanted. Lindsay could feel defeat start to take over her body, she felt her shoulders slump, her feet begin to shuffle and her head drop. Suddenly she caught the look on Don and Danny's faces, as if it physically hurt them to force her to leave. Not wanting to cause anyone any added grief, so she stood up a little straighter and flashed Flack a smile.

"I'll be right back." Lindsay forced herself to say with as much of a smile as she could muster. Lindsay allowed herself to be pulled towards the door by Danny's hand.

"Messer, you take care of my girl." Flack said as Danny disappeared through the door with Lindsay in toe.

In the elevator at the end of the hall, Danny put his arm around Lindsay and gave a squeeze.

"Hey, come on, Montana… we'll go down the block, get some pizza and be right back. I promise I'll get you back to him." Danny said with one last squeeze.

Lindsay just sighed and turned up one corner of her mouth as a smile aimed at Danny.

* * *

Danny had taken Lindsay to a small place a few blocks from the hospital – he had figured that walking a few blocks would do both of them some good. Finding a booth towards the back, Danny slid in a quickly caught the waitress's attention so they could order.

"You care what's on your pizza, Montana?" Danny asked, noticing that Lindsay had been quiet since walking in and sitting down.

"It doesn't matter." Lindsay said quietly. She and Danny sat in silence for a while and just as the pizza was being delivered to their table, Lindsay broke the silence. "Thanks for babysitting me. You didn't have to. I would have been okay on my own."

"You kidding me, Montana? I'm hungry and I don't like eating alone. I'm doing this for me, not you." Danny said playfully. Secretly he was relieved that Lindsay was talking. The silence had been driving him nuts. Danny was even more relieved that Lindsay wasn't crying or anything. Danny considered himself to be sensitive and a good listener, but when girls started crying he just didn't know what to do or say. Honestly, Danny couldn't remember ever seeing Lindsay cry, not even in the last three days since the explosion.

"Well, thanks anyway. I know Don appreciates it. It's what he wanted." Lindsay's voice got quieter as she finished her thought. Danny could see that it bothered her that Flack had wanted her to leave.

"Hey, Lindsay, look at me." Danny moved his hand across the table to make contact with Lindsay. See looked up as he did. "Flack loves you. He wanted you to take a break because he was worried that you're burning yourself out being in that room 24/7. He's look'in out for you. Finish your pizza and you'll be back playing Florence Nightingale before you know it."

Lindsay chuckled softly, a smile spreading across her face.

"What's so funny?" Danny asked.

"I didn't know you even knew who Florence Nightingale was." Lindsay said, attempting to take a bite of pizza while she answered.

"I went to college. Despite what you might think, Montana, I'm a pretty cultured guy." Danny quipped. He looked at Lindsay who had a string of cheese connecting her slice of pizza to her mouth. "Unlike you, I suppose. Didn't your mother ever teach you not to talk with your mouth full?"

"Shut up." Lindsay said with a smile, wiping the excess cheese and sauce from her lips with her napkin. "Let's finish up, I want to get back to the hospital."

"Anything you say." Danny said with a smile.


	5. Too Stubborn

Danny had gotten Lindsay back to Flack in one piece and a whole pizza later. But, without Lindsay they were short staffed at the lab and he had had to go back to work.

Now, two days later Danny was standing outside Flack's room and staring through the window at a sleeping Flack and Lindsay, who was curled up in a chair staring at the TV. Danny dropped in to visit Flack whenever he was in the area or when he finished a shift. Every time he came to his friend's room, Lindsay was there. She was sleeping in the chair. She was leaning over Flack and easing his pain. She was watching TV as he slept.

Danny couldn't help but notice the change that had come over Lindsay. Danny knew that she was the same old Lindsay, but things were different. She needed caffeine. She needed a shower. She needed to get out of the hospital. Her time with Flack was becoming like an obsession. Stella had mentioned it to Danny too. Stella couldn't even get her out of the room to grab lunch in the hospital cafeteria, let alone go home.

Lindsay felt tired. There was beeping in her ears. Machines were going about their business, doing what needed done. She knew there was a time when her life consisted of more than these machines and this room and feeling like she's been hit by a board. Lindsay still hadn't cried. She hadn't given herself the time to feel the emotion that was wearing on her body. On many levels she knew it was just a matter of time, but right now she didn't feel like she had that time to give.

"Hey." Danny whispered as he walked into the room. If Flack was asleep, he preferred not to wake him up.

Lindsay turned slightly and smiled. The smile didn't quite make it up to her eyes and wasn't very convincing. "Hi."

"How's he doing?" Danny asked, walking around so that he was standing in front of Lindsay.

"Better than yesterday. They're easing him off of some of his medication, so he's in more pain.. but he's doing better." Lindsay said. She stood up and took a step towards Danny, closing some of the distance between them.

"Hey, come here." Danny said, his voice full of concern. He wrapped his arms around Lindsay and pulled her into a hug. Danny could feel how tense Lindsay as her body went from rigid to a bit of a wilt in his embrace.

"Montana, why don't you get out of here for a while." Danny suggested as Lindsay backed away from his embrace. Lindsay whipped her head around to look Danny in the eyes and anger flashed through hers. "I mean it's just a suggestion, but you've got to get out of here. Maybe go home and take a nap, or a shower, or just go for a walk. I'll stay here with him. He won't be alone."

Lindsay didn't seem convinced. She backed slowly away from Danny and returned to her chair.

"I'm fine here." Lindsay replied. "I want to be here when he wakes up."

Danny realized that he wasn't going to get anywhere with this argument right now. If he knew anything about Lindsay, it was that she could be very stubborn and usually got what she wanted.

"Fine." Danny said with a sigh. "But, I don't work again for another 24 hours. What can I bring you from your place?"

"Why don't you take her to her place and then bring her back later?" Flack mumbled from his place on his bed.

Danny and Lindsay both turned to look at Flack. His eyes were open and he was struggling to move into a more comfortable position. Lindsay rushed over to Flack's side and helped him to move around. Danny stood back, he was a little uncomfortable with seeing his friend in pain and the intimacy of the scene before him.

"You okay now?" Lindsay asked thoughtfully. Danny noticed how her hand squeezed Flack's to emphasize the question.

"He's right, you know." Flack said, avoiding Lindsay's question, but tugging at her hand to bring her down to his level and get her attention. "You need to go. Get out of here. Take a break from me… from all this."

Lindsay didn't like how resigned Flack sounded. Her brow creased and she inched closer to Flack. Both Flack and Danny could tell that she was becoming more worried and was a bit confused. Lindsay was about to object, when Flack cut her off.

"The nurse will be coming soon, anyway. She's coming to change my bandages and do a few exercises… that kind of stuff. Why don't you take that time and let Danny take you home for a while."

Lindsay shifted uncomfortably and she watched Flack's gaze drift from her, momentarily to Danny and then off to the TV. Lindsay was confused. Why was Flack suddenly pushing her away?

"Danny, could you give us a minute?" Lindsay said quietly, never taking her eyes off of Flack.

Danny shrugged, nodded his head and ducked out of the room. Outside in the hallway, Danny leaned against the wall. He could feel the wall's coolness make its way through his shirt and sink into his back. Danny sighed and thought about Lindsay and Flack. He thought about how lucky Flack was to have Lindsay by his side, unwavering and totally in love with him. To be honest, Danny had been jealous of Flack for some time now.

* * *

Lindsay stared at Flack. She didn't understand the change in his attitude.

"I'm not going anywhere. I want to be here with you." Lindsay said. She could feel the tears welling up behind her eyes and her voice beginning to waiver, but Lindsay refused to cry.

"Don, you have to let me in sometime. You have to talk to me. You can't shut me out." Lindsay heard her voice start to tremble and crack as she talked. It was taking all of her restraint to keep her emotions in check and not explode at Flack.

Flack didn't say anything. He slowly raised his head and eyes to look at Lindsay. The problem was, he couldn't talk to Lindsay just yet. Lindsay was used to him being strong, cocky, sure of himself, always the one who came out on top and got the bad guy. But Flack didn't feel that he was that guy anymore. He felt weak and too dependent. The doctor had told him of all the work he'd have to do in order to _most likely_ be ready to go back to work, possibly just a desk job – Flack didn't even know if he'd ever be able to be back in the field, let alone do good work. Flack was ashamed of not only his helplessness, but his appearance.

"Go. Please." Flack said quietly. "I want you to get out of here and get some fresh air. Have something other than hospital food to eat. Do something normal. Just go."

Lindsay couldn't help but notice the look of depression that had taken over Flack. She sighed angrily, unable to hold her feelings in much longer. Lindsay could feel the anger seething deep down inside and threatening to bubble over. She wanted nothing more than to yell and stomp her feet and hit him, but somehow Lindsay knew that that wasn't what Flack needed.

"Fine." Lindsay said coldly. "I don't know what's going on in your head, but if you want me to leave that badly you'll get your wish."

Lindsay didn't say anything more and Flack didn't have a chance to reply before Lindsay turned on her heel, grabbed her bag and stalked out of the room. In the hallway, Lindsay didn't stop to acknowledge Danny; she simply stormed past him down the hallway. Danny jogged behind her in an attempt to catch up.

"Hey, Montana…" Danny said carefully and he stopped just behind her as she waited for the elevator.

"Get me out of here, Danny." Lindsay said. The elevator doors opened. Lindsay got on and turned around to look at Danny expectantly. Danny could see the anger and hurt mixed with tears just behind her eyes. He admired her for keeping it all under control.

"Sure, doll, let's go." Danny said with a half smile.

The elevator doors closed behind him as Danny whisked Lindsay away from the hospital.


	6. Leaving Him

After leaving the hospital, Danny simply followed Lindsay for a while. She made no attempts to talk to him and rarely acknowledged that he was even walking with her. Finally, after about two blocks, Lindsay slowed her pace a little and allowed Danny to match her step and walk beside her.

"He kicked me out." Lindsay said. It was hard for Danny to pick up on any kind of emotion in her voice, making it hard to know how to respond. Lindsay kept talking, saving Danny from having to think about it too much. "He doesn't want me around when it gets hard. I know him too well to think that it's anything else. We love each other and he doesn't want me around."

Lindsay's voice finally cracked and revealed her anguish. Danny was about to pull her into a hug, when Lindsay turned suddenly and headed into a bar.

Danny was a little surprised at Lindsay's choice. He never pegged Montana as one to drown her sorrows in alcohol. Lindsay walked up to the bar and ordered a drink. She sat down and began to drink silently, completely engrossed in her own thoughts. Danny ordered his own drink and sat a stool or two away, giving Lindsay her space. This is why Danny was happy he had brothers. He didn't know how to deal with quiet, moody girls.

* * *

Lindsay caught Danny staring at her. He had been staring at her for some number of months now, but tonight he seemed unusually fixated. They stared at each other until it looked as though he intended to come closer to her, at which point she turned around and left the bar.

Danny caught up with Lindsay as she walked down the street.

"You know I'm not letting you walk around this city on your own." Danny said, attempting to sound humorous. "You want to tell me where you're going?"

"Your place." Lindsay said flatly. She had decided long ago that she couldn't go back to Don's apartment. Even though it had technically been "theirs" for over a month now, at the moment it didn't feel like home. Danny was impressed that Lindsay seemed to know her way through the labyrinth of streets and was able to make her way to his doorstep. He silently opened the door to his building and followed Lindsay up to his apartment. When Danny opened the door, Lindsay walked inside silently and walked straight to the window. She seemed to be staring out into the night, deep in thought.

"Linds?" Danny asked cautiously. He could sense the hurt radiating off of her body and could see how her back tensed up at her own name.

Lindsay wasn't sure how she'd managed to hear him. To Lindsay, the emotions whirling around inside of her drowned out any other noises that she might be hearing. She was so angry with Flack and hurt by what he had done that she felt like she couldn't focus on what was going on, and the minute her anger and bitterness and frustration got the better of her, Danny Messer showed up. Lindsay turned around to face Danny. Judging from the way his hair was a bit messed up and the fact that he looked tired and worn out, she assumed that worry and concern was wearing on him too - except his worry and concern was focused on Lindsay instead of solely on Flack.

Danny walked over to Lindsay and took her hand, forcing her to unclench her fist, something that she hadn't even realized that she had done.

"It's gonna be all right," he said. "Really."

"Really? You know that, huh?" Lindsay spat back at Danny.

It killed Danny to see Lindsay so upset. In his eyes, Lindsay was perfection. Smart, funny, independent, loving, caring… she was everything a friend, partner and girlfriend should be. Somewhere, deep inside, Danny understood why Flack was acting this way and why he was pushing Lindsay away. But, seeing Lindsay in this state, Danny couldn't help but ask himself if he would ever have the heart to put her through this if he were in Flack's position.

Lindsay tried to take her hand out of his grasp, but he wouldn't let go and in her alcohol induced haze it was just too hard. Instead, he placed a soft kiss on her palm; then, one by one, he took his fingers into his mouth, sucking on each one slowly.

He thought maybe she hated it. Not the physical action, which was already beginning to get a positive reaction out of Lindsay, but everything it implied. This, he thought, was what it had come to. The woman he had admired and loved and had somehow managed to keep his hands off all this time was now standing in front of him, vulnerable and almost willing.

In all, Danny decided, he'd rather have Lindsay out of anguish and pity. Having Lindsay in some way was better than nothing at all. Danny's desire and concern for Lindsay seemed to eclipse all the warning bells going off in his head.

"I don't get it… how could he… I love… What is going on…" Lindsay rambled, allowing her emotions and thoughts to mix and flow freely as she relaxed in Danny's presence.

Suddenly, he kissed her. Danny had needed a way to quiet Lindsay and make her forget all the troubles that she had walked away from at the hospital. Lindsay found Danny's lips on her own, and without thinking brought herself closer to Danny.

Danny found that kissing his Montana was every bit as incredible as he always assumed it would be. He would have been lying if he said that he hadn't thought about kissing Lindsay every time that he saw Flack do it. Danny descended on her mouth, almost as if he planned to devour her. He snaked his hands around her back and let them rest at her waist.

When they broke it off, Danny was smiling. Lindsay had her eyes closed, but a small grin played on her lips. Danny decided that anything that made him smile like that couldn't be all bad. It occurred to Danny that he probably shouldn't let Lindsay do this. But if she wanted to continue, he didn't know if he had the strength to turn her down.

Danny leaned in to kiss Lindsay again, tugging at her body and guiding her in the direction of the couch. Their lips were just lightly brushing the others, when Lindsay's eyes snapped open. She could taste the mixture of alcohol and Danny that still lingered on her lips. Lindsay gasped and jumped away suddenly.

"Hey, hey…" Danny said soothingly. He reached out to Lindsay, but Lindsay shrank away.

"Oh god." Lindsay said quietly. The implications of what had just happened hit her. Lindsay felt like screaming, crying and running from Danny's apartment. She struggled to catch her breath, as she began to hyperventilate. "Danny…"

"I'm sorry, Montana." Danny said honestly. He realized now, that no matter how much he had wanted that to happen, it was wrong and would tear Lindsay apart. Already, guilt was consuming him as he thought about Lindsay and Flack. "I shouldn't have… I just wanted you to relax a bit, and to forget. I didn't mean… I mean, I've always wanted to… but…"

Nothing Danny put together in his head sounded eloquent when he actually spoke. Lindsay had a look of sheer terror and panic, and it ripped Danny to shreds inside to know that he had caused it.

"I can't Danny. I, I… I have to go." Lindsay finished her sentence with a stifled sob and pushed past Danny to run out of his apartment.

Danny thought of going after her and insisting that he take her home. But, Danny wasn't too sure where Lindsay was actually headed, let alone if she ever wanted to see him again.


	7. Even Blind Men Can See

Lindsay woke up early to the sun streaming through the window and rudely waking her up. Rolling over, Lindsay realized that she laying the wrong way across her bed, still in her clothes from the night before. Suddenly the events of the night before came streaming back to her and Lindsay knew what she had to do.

* * *

The shrill sound of Danny's cell phone woke him up. He rolled over on his couch and as he blindly reached towards the coffee table in search of his phone, his hand knocked over a variety of empty beer bottles. Danny couldn't reach his phone in time. When he finally found it, the phone was beeping with voice mail.

"Uh, hi, Danny. It's Lindsay. Listen, last night shouldn't have happened. I'm on my way back to the hospital. I have to talk to Don. I thought you should know too." With a click, Lindsay's message ended.

Danny sat, hunched over with his elbows on his knees, and dropped his throbbing head to his hands. He sat there wondering for a moment, exactly what he had done. Danny got up, threw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and headed out the door for the hospital.

Danny wasn't too sure what he was going to do when he got to the hospital, but his gut told him that he had to do something. When Danny arrived, he jogged up the stairs and down the hallway leading to Flack's room. He skidded to a halt just a few feet away from Flack's door, he saw an unmistakable bounce of brown wavy hair enter the room. Danny was too late to catch Lindsay. Sinking down into one of the chairs in the hallway, Danny sighed, leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes in defeat.

A voice caused Danny to open his eyes.

"Please go away." Lindsay said. That was it. That was all she said. Lindsay had every intention of walking back into Flack's room and forgetting all about Danny, until she saw Stella bouncing down the hall towards them.

"Hey, guys! How's Flack?" Stella seemed way to chipper for Lindsay this morning, but Lindsay thought, Stella was always upbeat.

"Okay." Lindsay admitted. She was keeping a good distance between herself and Danny, and each time that Danny attempted to close the distance between them she scooted away. "It was a rough night."

Stella nodded her head as if she understood, and smiled kindly as Lindsay excused herself to go back into Flack's room. Danny sighed loudly and shook his head. He began to pace just a bit and walk away from Stella.

"So, what's going on?" Stella asked Danny quietly. Stella was a detective, but anyone could tell that something was wrong. Lindsay refused to make eye contact with Danny and Danny alternated between trying desperately to get Lindsay's attention and attempting to sink into the pattern on the floor.

"Nothing. Why?" Danny said, attempting to side step Stella's question.

"Don't give me that crap, Danny. Even a blind man can see that there's something going on here. Spill." Stella said. She said in a way that only Stella could, blending her sisterly tone with a more authoritative one.

Danny looked past Stella and into Flack's room. He could see Lindsay leaning over Flack and taking his hand in hers. Danny could tell from watching Lindsay's back hitch with each breath that she was crying and he could tell from watching the look that came over Flack's face that Lindsay was telling him about the night before. Danny watched as Flack yanked his hand away from Lindsay and turned away from her.

Stella's back had been to Flack's room, but sensing that she had lost Danny's attention she turned to follow his gaze. Seeing Flack turn away from Lindsay and Lindsay sink into the chair next to him, Stella turned back to Danny, anger flashing through her eyes.

"Tell me you didn't have anything to do with that." Stella demanded.

Danny thought about answering with the words 'with what?' but he knew better. Sighing and wishing that the hospital floor would open up and swallow him whole, Danny turned back to Stella.

"I ruined it for them, Stel. I kissed her. I took advantage of her. That's what she's telling him right now. I'm the bastard that ruined my best friend's life." Danny said. There was a look of defiance flashing in his eyes, almost daring Stella to react and yell at him.

"Oh, Danny…" Stella said quietly, choosing compassion over yelling. She reached out with a free hand to place it on Danny's arm.

Danny pulled away quickly and walked past Stella.

"No. Don't." Danny muttered as he walked away.


	8. Kiss and Make Up

**_Sorry it's taken so long. I know it's short... but there's more coming! I promise._**

* * *

Stella turned her attention back to Flack's room. Lindsay was sitting curled up into a tight ball in the chair next to Flack's bed. Stella could tell that her tears had calmed, but Flack had yet to turn to face Lindsay. Stella slowly walked into Flack's room, standing quietly in the doorway.

"Hey, guys." Stella said casually. Flack looked up, made eye contact and attempted to smile. Lindsay didn't move from her ball in the chair. "Flack, I need to steal Lindsay away for a while. Something's come up with an old case and Mac needs some information. Lindsay?"

Stella looked over at Lindsay and motioned for her to leave the room. Stella glanced back to Flack who watched Lindsay go and slowly closed his eyes. Lindsay slowly walked out of the room and down the hall with Stella. As she walked next to Stella, Lindsay didn't say a word. She had collected herself enough that her tears had stopped, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything.

Stella silently guided Lindsay through the halls and into the cafeteria. Both women slid into a chair, on opposite sides of a table. Lindsay sat, fiddling with her hands, unable to will her eyes to meet Stella's.

"Danny told me what happened." Stella said quietly, breaking the silence.

Lindsay sat quietly for a moment and then looked up at Stella.

"So, no pressing lab emergency after all?" Lindsay asked, almost sarcastically.

"You knew it was a poor excuse to get you out of the room the minute I started talking." Stella said, smiling a little.

"Yeah. He knew it too." Lindsay said, her voice just barely above a whisper.

"So… what are you going to do?" Stella asked quietly.

Lindsay chuckled sadly and smiled and heartbreaking smile. "What can I do? He had every reason to hate me and I may never really get the chance to make this right."

Stella could hear the disappointment in Lindsay's voice. For a while, Lindsay and Stella sat in a comfortable silence. Lindsay was deep in thought and contemplation, and Stella observed, unabashedly, every person that passed by. Stella desperately wanted to know what had been said in Flack's room earlier, after all not only was Stella a CSI but she was a woman, but she could sense that enough had been said on that subject for the time being.

A few minutes later, Lindsay and Stella were comfortably chatting about their work schedules when a nurse nervously approached their table.

"Um, excuse me?" The nurse said quietly. Lindsay and Stella both looked up expectantly. Lindsay instantly recognized the young girl as one of the nurses on Flack's floor. "I don't know if it's my place to say anything, but I thought that you might want to know that Detective Flack's temperature has suddenly spiked and he's running a fever – which could be dangerous to his recovery."

The nurse paused and searched Lindsay's face for some kind of understanding. When she noticed the small, hitched breath that Lindsay took and the worried look that crossed her face, the nurse knew that she had said enough. Smiling kindly, the nurse took her leave, leaving Stella staring anxiously at a worried Lindsay.

"I've got to go, Stel." Lindsay jumped up abruptly and walked out of the cafeteria in the direction of the elevator.

* * *

Lindsay paused just before pushing the door to Flack's room open. She knew that she was taking a chance. Lindsay drew in a deep breath as she pushed the door open. Flack was lying with his head turned towards the window and away from the door. He made no move to acknowledge that someone had entered his room. Lindsay glanced quickly around the room, noticing only the extra medication attached to Flack's IV and the shallow breaths that he was taking.

Walking over to his bed, as if gliding silently, Lindsay positioned herself next to Flack's bed and perched on the side of the bed.

Flack felt his bed sag slightly under Lindsay's body weight and sighed as he closed his eyes wearily.

"The nurse told me you're running a fever." Lindsay said after a minute or two of silence.

Flack rolled his head over in Lindsay's direction, but avoided her eyes. He wanted to be angry with her. He wanted to tell her to go to hell and get out of his room. He wanted to pummel Danny for what he did. But right now, Flack felt as if all of his energy was being channeled into remaining conscious and fighting the awful burning sensation that was traveling through his body.

"Water." Flack said with a raspy voice.

"You're thirsty?" Lindsay asked hopefully. Thirst and a request for water might mean that his fever wasn't as bad as she thought it might be. Lindsay brought a cup with a striped straw to Flack's lips and he sucked on it tenderly.

"No, I wanted to go skinny dipping." Flack said flatly after he swallowed.

"Sorry." Lindsay said meekly. "The nurse told me that you were suddenly running a fever. I was worried."

"Sure." Flack said. Lindsay couldn't read his voice. Was it sarcasm? Anger? She couldn't tell with just his one syllable. "Don't be. I'll live."

"Yeah. You don't know how happy that makes me." Lindsay began. She could tell that she has Flack's attention and somewhere behind his angry exterior he was listening to what she had to say. "I just want you to know that I pushed Danny away and regretted what I had allowed to happen the minute it started. I didn't go over to Danny's wanting this to happen. I've never stopped loving you. Not for a single moment. And when…" Lindsay sighed and bit down on her lip. She was biting so hard that Flack thought he might draw blood. "… when the nurse told me about your fever and how it could be dangerous… I knew that I needed a chance to make this right. Please, Don, help me fix this."

Flack could see the tears welled up in Lindsay's eyes and how she was willing them not to fall. Deep inside he knew that he had pushed Lindsay out of his room and into dinner with Danny. Flack also knew that Lindsay hadn't made the first move. Lindsay had told him as much. She didn't mean for anything to happen, and for now Flack was ready to believe and forgive Lindsay.

"Well, I should go…" Lindsay said in response to Flack's silence. "I just wanted to…"

"Don't go." Flack said. Lindsay had to stop and rerun his words in her head to ensure that she had heard him correctly.

"I don't want to pressure you into to anything. I just needed to say those things." Lindsay assured Flack.

"I don't have brain damage, Linds. I know what I'm saying." Flack said. It was hard to tell, but Flack thought there might be a grin on his face.

"I never doubted that. You've always had a head that's hard as a rock." Lindsay smiled as she talked. Her hand found Flack's and their fingers looped together.

"I think you might have us confused there Monroe." Flack joked. "Thanks for coming back."


	9. Let Me Go

The following day, Mac demanded that Lindsay come back to work and she ended up pulling a double. Lindsay had never minded working in the past – she had actually lived for it at times. But this week, she held the fact that she was working so much against Mac and the rest of the lab. Things were easier only because she never found herself working with Danny. Lindsay didn't know if it was pure luck, or if Stella had somehow warned Mac, but Lindsay constantly found herself at crime scenes with everyone except the one person she was trying desperately to avoid.

It wasn't that Lindsay was ashamed of her mistake with Danny. She held her head up high every time she walked past him. But she hated him for the situation that he had forced her into, the doubt that he had put into Flack's head and the damage he had to his own relationship with Flack.

Danny wasn't making it easy, though. He had always flirted with Lindsay, even when she started dating Flack. In the beginning it was just a good-natured banter. But as time went on, he had felt the deep seeded feelings bubbling to the top and even though he had been turned down when he acted on them, Danny still felt that he should pursue Lindsay.

Lindsay was in the break room, pouring herself a cup of coffee, when Stella bounced through the door.

"Hi, Lindsay. What's up?" Stella asked.

Lindsay sighed, rolled her head backwards and rubbed her temples. She was taking a moment before answering, but Stella beat her to it.

"That good, huh?" Stella said. She was concerned. The past week and a half had been taking their toll on Lindsay.

"I'm just tired, Stel. I've had a heavy case load and then I've been splitting whatever time I have left between spending time with Don and sleeping. I think it's finally starting to catch up with me." Lindsay said honestly.

Lindsay and Stella's conversation was cut short by Lindsay's cell phone. As it chirped, Lindsay unclipped it from her belt, flipped it open to look at the caller ID and quickly snapped it shut again.

"You're not going to answer that?" Stella questioned.

"It's Danny." Lindsay said. Stella could hear the frustration and anxiety in Lindsay's voice.

"Not taking his calls?" Stella asked, probing for a little more information.

"He won't leave me alone. I answered in the beginning, but all Danny does is talk about how sorry he is that he hurt me, but how he thinks that there's some kind of chemistry between the two of us." Lindsay stopped, looking to Stella for some kind of advice or recognition. When Stella offered none, Lindsay continued. "I stopped answering a two days ago. Now he just leaves messages and tries to corner me in the lab."

"Just focus on you and Flack. Danny will understand eventually." Stella said, pulling Lindsay into a hug. "Now, I have an autopsy to go check on. See you later!"

Stella strode out of the break room and turned to go towards the morgue. Lindsay sighed as her cell phone beeped with a new voice message and drank the rest of her coffee.

* * *

Danny's shift had ended and hour and a half ago. But, instead of going home, Danny had hunkered down in his office doing paperwork – all in hopes of catching Lindsay. He knew that she was finishing up a crime scene with Hawkes, and that, in fact, they were on their way back to the lab.

"Danny? I thought you'd left." A voice helped to focus Danny's attention on the doorway of his office, rather than his paperwork. Danny looked up to see Stella standing in the doorway.

"I just though I'd catch up on some paperwork." Danny replied nonchalantly.

"You're not fooling me, Danny Messer. You're waiting for Lindsay." Stella stopped and watched Danny guiltily avert his eyes. Stella could tell that arguing this with Danny was pointless. She sighed and walked off to her office.

Minutes later, Danny heard the tell tale sound of Lindsay's boots clicking down the hallway of the lab. Lindsay stopped abruptly when she saw Danny staring at her from his desk.

"What, are you stalking me now?" Lindsay said annoyed that Danny was there. "Your shift is over."

He looked at her shocked. "What, do you think I knew you were going to be here?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I think." Lindsay said coldly. Danny could tell that she was annoyed. He smiled at her.

"Listen, Linds…"

"Just don't Danny." Lindsay turned away from him hiding her tears. "You don't need to make this harder than it already is."

"Well, I was planning on making it easier." Danny stepped closer to Lindsay and gently moved her face so she was looking at him.

"Danny I…" But she was cut off by Danny.

"Lindsay, I care about you. There's something here between us. I feel it everyday and I felt it the other night. I made a mistake the other night, but I want you to let me make it up to you in anyway I can."

"Have you told him yet?" Lindsay asked, stepping away from Danny.

"Told who what?" Danny asked, genuinely confused.

"Don." Lindsay countered. "Have you told him that you're pursuing the woman he loves and that you're willing to throw away your friendship?"

Danny stopped and processed Lindsay's words silently. He looked up at Lindsay, hoping to find any sign of her understanding.

"I didn't think so." Lindsay finished. She brushed past Danny to gather up her paperwork and things. "I'm going to go get some work done. I'll be in Stella's office if someone is looking for me. But that someone can't be you, Danny."

Lindsay turned her back on Danny and walked out of the office. As she reached the door, Danny caught her elbow and spoke.

"Montana… give it a chance." Danny said, almost with an air of desperation.

"Let me go, Danny. Please." Lindsay pleaded and sighed. She wanted and needed Danny to let her go, in more ways than one. Lindsay could feel Danny's grip on her elbow loosen. Pulling away, she walked out and left Danny behind in her wak

* * *

"So, Lindsay's working in my office." Danny looked up to find Stella standing in the doorway of his office again. As if reading his mind, Stella continued. "Leave her alone, Danny. She's made her choice, and right now it doesn't include you. It's what she wants." 

"She's going back to him." Danny said with resignation.

"I don't think Lindsay ever left him." Stella corrected.

"There's something there, Stel. I can feel something between us." Danny said. He wasn't too sure who he was trying to convince anymore, Stella or himself. Danny took a moment to think. Defeat radiated from his voice and his body. "God, I've really screwed things up."

"Figure it out, Danny." Stella commanded Danny. "Please."


	10. The Break Up

The next day, after an two more ignored phone calls from Danny, Lindsay called in sick to work and spent the day cuddled up to Flack watching TV in his hospital room.

Stella had observed Danny searching the lab frantically for Lindsay and when Lindsay didn't show up to work, Stella became worried. She did, however, know exactly where she'd be able to find her friend.

When Stella arrived at the hospital, Lindsay was sitting in a chair reading a book while Flack slept. Stella watched the scene through the window for a moment, before sticking her head in through the door to get Lindsay's attention.

"Hey Linds." Stella whispered as she crept into the room. She didn't want to wake Flack, but she didn't want to startle Lindsay by sneaking up on her either.

"Hi, Stella." Lindsay said. Stella noticed that Lindsay looked happier and more rested than she had seen her look in days. Evidentially taking the day off of work and relaxing with Flack agreed with Lindsay. Lindsay got up out of her chair and motioned to Stella that she would meet her closer to the door.

"He's been doing much better, but he's really tired." Lindsay explained in a hushed tone. "I just don't want to wake him."

Stella and Lindsay stepped out into the hallway.

"When you didn't come in to work today, I was a little worried. I just wanted to come over and check on you." Stella said, searching Lindsay's face for a sign as to what she was thinking.

"You mean you wanted to check on Flack?" Lindsay asked.

"No. I wanted to check on you." Stella said emphasizing her point. "Flack is just an added bonus. So, how are you doing?"

"I'm tired. I just don't think I can do this anymore, Stella. I feel like I'm suffocating. I can't work with him. It's too hard. He just makes my life so complicated right now. Danny makes me so angry… maybe it's time to move on. It might be best for both of us." Lindsay confessed.

"Whoa, Lindsay!" Stella all but yelled. "Take some time to think about it. Things with Danny will get better, plus you have Don to concentrate on. Talk to Mac. Ask him for some time off. Go home and get some sleep, then come and spend time with Don. Go shopping and take some time for yourself, and then come back to work. Let me handle Danny for a while. You need to worry about yourself and Don – no one else. What do you say?"

Stella put her hands on Lindsay's shoulders and gently squeezed. A small smile began make its way to Lindsay's face. She realized that Stella was right, she needed to concentrate on Don and herself. Lindsay launched herself into Stella's arms and hugged her.

"Thanks, Stella." Lindsay said.

* * *

Flack slowly brought his hand up to his face and rubbed his temple. His head was throbbing and it seemed to take all his energy to just get his hand up to his forehead, let alone stop the pain. Blinking his eyes a few times he saw Lindsay and Stella talking in the doorway. Flack couldn't help but smile, thinking about how those two were always hovering and taking care of him. Flack noticed that Lindsay had pushed her way partially into the room, the door left ajar. He could hear her voice wafting into his room.

"I don't think I can do this anymore." Flack heard Lindsay say to Stella. Those words got his attention. Using the rest of his energy, Flack turned his head and strained to hear Lindsay's voice. He knew that she would be upset that he was eavesdropping, but he was intrigued.

"I feel like I'm suffocating… It's too hard." Flack heard Lindsay's voice again. There were some parts he couldn't quite make out, but he was sure he could fill in the blanks. "…Maybe it's time to move on."

Flack stopped listening. He had heard enough. Hearing Lindsay's words made him feel sick inside. Suddenly, Flack felt incredibly tired and broken.

"Hi. I'm back." Lindsay said with a smile. She leaned over Flack to place a gently kiss on his lips, but as she leaned in Flack turned his head to stare blankly out of the window.

"Don?" Lindsay asked, concern etched across her face. "What's wrong?"

"Go." Flack said quietly. Lindsay wasn't even sure that she had heard him at first, he had said it so quietly.

"What?" Lindsay asked. She reached her hand out to touch him, but noticed that Flack instantly pulled away as her skin came in contact with his.

"Go." Flack snarled. "I want you to go."

"I.. I don't understand, Don. What's going on?" Lindsay was so confused that it was hard to get the words out.

In what seemed to Lindsay like slow motion, but was a more swift movement, Flack jerked around painfully to look at Lindsay. In his eyes, Lindsay saw anger and rage flashing. Instantly, with the swift movement, Flack realized the movement had been unwise and grabbed his side and squeezed his eyes shut as a reaction to the pain that had overtaken his body.

"Oh my God, Don." Lindsay yelled, rushing to him. The rise in her voice brought Stella and a nurse running into the room.

Even with his eyes closed, Flack moved away from Lindsay.

"Get out." Flack spat, gritting his teeth in reaction to mixture of pain and anger.

Stella stood behind Lindsay, unsure of what was going on. Suddenly Flack was writhing in pain and yelling at Lindsay to leave. This new development startled Stella. Stella felt the nurse push past, mumbling something about stitches being pulled out.

"Stel… get her out of here!" Flack yelled again. This time it had an effect.

Stella lightly grabbed Lindsay's wrist and pulled her out of the room. Out in the hall, Stella guided Lindsay over to a chair and Lindsay sank down into it.

"I don't get it, Stella. What's going on?" Lindsay whimpered.

"I don't know, but I intend to find out." Stella said before stalking back into Flack's room. Lindsay watched through the glass. She watched Stella stand purposefully over Flack. She could tell by the tension in Stella's shoulders and the way her hands gestured wildly that Stella was grilling Flack. Flack however threw his best tough guy look back at Stella. He rolled his head to one side and Lindsay could tell by the way he stretched his neck and stilled his hands that his mind was made up and nothing had been resolved.

Stella stepped out of Flack's with a sigh and a look of defeat. Stella opened her mouth to speak, but Lindsay already knew what she was going to say. Lindsay didn't want to hear it. She didn't want Stella to tell her that Flack had refused to explain himself and rejected Stella's pleas to allow Lindsay back in the room.

Lindsay turned on her heel and fled from Stella. She ran down the hallway to the elevators, running away from Flack. Anger flashed through Lindsay's eyes, even as tears threatened to spill from them.


	11. What Did You Do?

Lindsay was still angry and hurt when she reached the lab. She wasn't sure why she had gone to the lab instead of going home, but her feet seemed to just take her there. Lindsay thought the walk to the lab and the slow elevator ride had calmed her down, but the bell that dinged with the opening elevator doors seemed to set her off again. A new wave of anger, resentment and despair washed over her as she stepped out of the elevator and into the hum of the lab.

The sea of people in the lab's hallway seemed to part for Lindsay as she stormed through. There were a few surprised looks, but Lindsay was immune to them. Stella, who had gotten back to the lab before Lindsay, stepped out of Mac's office, trying to catch Lindsay as she careened by, but was only in time to watch Lindsay collide with Danny. Lindsay ran right into Danny with a heavy thud, almost as if she had been seeking him out.

"Hey, Montana, you gotta watch where…" Danny didn't get a chance to finish. Lindsay trained her eyes, livid and cold, on Danny and made sure that her bag connected with his face. Danny didn't have a chance to react before Lindsay propelled herself towards him, her hands hitting him and her fists pummeling his chest.

"You said something! This is all your fault!" Lindsay's yelling was now punctuated with an occasional sob. Danny's hands had flown up to protect his face and he stumbled backwards into the wall, drawing the attention of almost the entire lab. "What did you do, Danny? What did you do?"

Lindsay's last question faded away as tears and sobs took over. Her brutal punches weakened, as did her resolve. Stella stepped forward to attempt to restrain Lindsay and coax her into an empty office, but Danny waved her off. With his strong arms, Danny reached out and pulled Lindsay to him; he was willing to sustain a few more bruises in order to get her to stop.

Lindsay acquiesced and allowed Danny to pull her into his chest and embrace her. Lindsay felt numb. She knew that Danny was attempting to get her to walk somewhere, but it wasn't until she felt him buckle a seat belt around her, that Lindsay realized that Danny had guided her to his car.

"I can't go to my place." Lindsay said quietly as Danny started the car. Danny just nodded with understanding, turning the car down the busy New York streets in the direction of his apartment.

The car had been painfully quiet. All the way home, Danny's eyes had strayed to the passenger seat where Lindsay was sitting. She looked pale and fragile. Danny had wanted to reach over and touch her, but given the pale bruises forming on his chest, he wasn't sure if that was the best idea.

When the car stopped, Lindsay got out. Her feet didn't seem to want to move from their place and her mind seemed jumbled. Lindsay just couldn't make her mind and body function.

Suddenly, Lindsay felt a hand on hers. She knew it was Danny's. Lindsay could feel him standing close to her and her mind screamed to her that this was too close.

Lindsay followed Danny into his apartment and allowed herself to be led into his bedroom. Wordlessly, Danny handed her a sweatshirt and pulled back the covers on the bed. Lindsay pulled the sweatshirt over her head and curled up into a tight ball. Maybe if she fell asleep, this would all be a bad dream.

As Lindsay's eyelids fluttered closed, Danny rubbed the back of his neck, closed his eyes and leaned against the doorframe. When he finally opened his eyes again, Danny walked into the living room and sank onto his couch, attempting to piece together what had happened and how he would be able to fix it.

* * *

When Lindsay had woken up later that night, she found Danny sitting on the couch with a beer in his hand watching a Yankees game. As Lindsay stumbled out of his bedroom, rubbing her temples and attempting to rub out her headache, Danny scooted over on the couch and nonchalantly patted the cushions next to him. Danny didn't want to force anything, Lindsay would tell him what was going on in her own time.

"If you want something to eat, there's food in the kitchen. I'm watching the game. You can join me." Danny said casually.

Lindsay sighed and sank onto the couch next to Danny. She tried to focus her eyes on the game, but ended up staring blankly ahead of her. After a few minutes, Danny took another gulp of beer and turned to her.

"So, Montana, why are you here? You know instead of at your place?" Danny asked quietly, during a well-timed commercial break.

"I don't really have a place, Danny. You know it was Don's before I ever moved in. I just didn't feel like I could go back there right now." Lindsay rose up off the couch and moved into the kitchen, helping herself to some of the food that Danny had left out. "Look, Danny, about before… you know at the lab. I should explain…"

"No need." Danny said, cutting her off. "Stella called to check on you. She explained."

"Oh." Lindsay said. She dropped her head to stare at the floor. Danny noticed her movement and wondered if he had intruded or gone too far by mentioning his conversation with Stella. Truth be told, Danny had been more than eager to find out why Lindsay had suddenly assaulted him so emotionally at the lab. Danny quickly got up off the couch and pursued Lindsay into the kitchen. He gently grabbed her by the shoulders and ran his hands up and down the length of her arms.

"Hey… hey… I only pressed Stella for information because I wanted to know why I had all these bruises. You've got nothing to be ashamed of. You didn't do anything wrong. You here me, Montana? Give Flack some time to figure things out. He'll realize what an idiot he is."

"Thanks, Danny." Lindsay said, attempting a small smile. She pulled away slightly, separating the bond between his hands and her arms.

"Montana. You gotta know that I didn't say anything or do anything to cause this." Danny said, sounding deperate to be believed. "I've avoided Flack. I would've never wanted you to be hurt in any way."

"I know, Danny." Lindsay said quietly. "I think I want to go back to sleep. Can I curl up in your bedroom?"

"Yeah, sure. Anything you want, Linds." Danny said as Lindsay stepped away from him. Danny walked her carefully as she walked back into his bedroom and shut the door.

Danny sank back onto the couch. He was too distracted to focus on the game. Danny was too busy trying to figure out what it meant that Lindsay was asleep in his bed and seemingly single. Danny sighed and dropped his head back, stretching his neck. Maybe Derek Jeter could give him the answers he was looking for.


	12. Thinking

Stella walked into the locker room to see Lindsay staring vacantly into her locker.

"Hey there, Linds. Everything okay?" Stella asked, her mothering tendencies showing through in her tone. "You look a little, stressed?"

"Tired is all. I'm finishing a double. I just want to go home – wherever that is." Lindsay replied.

Stella nodded her head knowingly. She was amazed that Lindsay had been coming to work at all, with everything that had been going on. It had been five long days since Flack had yelled at Stella to get Lindsay out of his room. Stella knew that Lindsay had tried to talk to him about things, but he wouldn't listen. It seemed to Stella that she had finally gotten through to him and explained what had been going on with Lindsay, but hearing the truth didn't seem to faze Flack. He simply felt that Lindsay was better off without him. Stella wished that he could see how wrong he was.

"You still staying at Danny's?" Stella asked without trying to hide her curiosity.

"Yeah, but I'm planning on going back to my place this afternoon just as soon as I finish up here." Lindsay said with a sigh. To be honest, she didn't really want to go home. While Danny's couch wasn't exactly what she considered comfortable, her apartment just reminded her constantly of Don and what she didn't have.

"Where is Danny, anyway? I haven't seen him today." Stella asked.

"He's not on until tonight." Lindsay replied. She felt a small pang of guilt that she knew Danny's schedule and whereabouts, but hadn't spoken to Don in a few days. Then again, Flack wanted nothing to do with her and Danny was always there.

Stella nodded again, finished up in her locker and made her way back into the lab, leaving Lindsay standing alone, again, with her thoughts of what to do and where to sleep.

* * *

Danny had decided to make the most of his afternoon off. He did some laundry, ran to the store to pick up some food and then decided to go where he was sure that he wasn't welcome.

Danny walked into Flack's room. Things seemed different. There weren't as many tubes and wires. Flack had gotten a lot of color back and looked better. Danny noticed a woman's coat and bag in the chair. Not recognizing them, he assumed they belonged to Flack's mother. Flack was sitting comfortably in some of his own clothes, looking much more comfortable and human.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Danny asked as he popped his head through the door. He nodded towards the stack of papers and pamphlets sitting on the foot of Flack's bed. Danny already knew, but he wanted Flack to confirm that they were discharge papers.

"I can leave." Flack said quietly.

"Can I come in?" Danny asked hesitantly.

Flack simply shrugged his shoulders and turned up one corner of his mouth. Danny walked in and stood near the edge of Flack's bed. He shifted his weight from one foot to another, finally settling on rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. There was an unsettling silence between the two men. Neither knowing quite what to say.

"How is everyone?" Flack asked. The word _everyone_ was loaded with meaning.

"The gang's fine." Danny replied. "You know… Mac's working long hours; Stella's nagging him to go home. I think Adam actually had a date the other night." Danny chuckled at the thought of Adam on a date, and so did Flack. Danny took a deep breath before going on. "Lindsay's okay. She's not great, but she's okay. She's working a lot. It's like she thinks that the more she works the less time she'll have to remember that you're not around."

Flack closed his eyes and sighed with Danny's words. When Flack didn't say anything, Danny stretched his neck nervously and kept talking. "She misses you. You know that, right? Look man, I really screwed things up here. I screwed things up between you and Lindsay and you and me. I wish I knew what to do to fix it."

"Don't worry about it." Flack said nonchalantly. If Danny hadn't heard the first part of their conversation he'd think that Flack was talking to someone who had just bumped into him on the street. Flack's tone was cool and casual. Danny and Flack settled back into an uneasy silence. Danny didn't know what else to say and Flack obviously didn't want to say anything else.

"When you going home?" Danny said, breaking the silence.

"Tonight."

"You going back to your place?" Danny asked with a furrowed brow. He was wondering if Lindsay knew about this and whether or not she was planning on staying in their apartment.

"No. I gotta go where someone will be around to check on me. Tell Lindsay that she can stay in the apartment. I'm going home to my parent's house for a while. Being released into their care." Flack muttered.

"Whoa, man. You're making a big mistake. Lindsay loves you and you're throwing away one of the best things to ever happen to you." Danny countered. It was as if he didn't even know Flack anymore. The man sitting in front of him was thin, weak and seemed defeated. Danny stared up at the ceiling, blinking a few times, and then leveled his gaze back on Flack. "Dude. I know that I can't argue with you when you get like this. I know… your mind's made up." Danny turned to walk out of Flack's room. When he got to the door he turned around with one final question. "Tell me this. You do know that when you heard what Lindsay said, or what you thought she said, that she was talking about me, right? I was the one who was suffocating her? I was the one making her run away? You know it was me and not you, right?"

"Yeah. Stella told me." Flack said with a sigh. "Doesn't matter, though. I'm no good for her. She needs someone who can be there."

Flack turned his head dejected away from Danny and stared out of the window. Danny took that as his cue to leave, leaving Flack alone – thinking about leaving the hospital and going home.


	13. Getting the Message

After leaving the lab, Lindsay had gone straight to Danny's apartment. But upon walking through the door, all she could feel was the overwhelming urge to go home. She wanted to be back in her own element and out of Danny's.

Minutes later, Lindsay was back at the apartment she shared with Flack. The moment Lindsay closed and locked the door; she dropped her things on the floor and walked straight to the bedroom. The tank top Lindsay had worn to bed the last night she had been at the apartment was still shoved under her pillow and after several minutes, she pulled it on and crawled under Flack's comforter and closes her eyes. There was still a hint of daylight coming through the windows, but she was suddenly exhausted.

Lindsay woke up sometime after dark. She thought she'd feel better, but she didn't really. Lindsay really thought that coming home and sleeping in her own bed, and not Danny's couch, would make all the difference. It didn't. It just served as a reminder that Flack wasn't there. She stared at the ceiling their last conversation played through her mind again. Lindsay wasn't sure if the conversation was the correct version or one of the distorted versions she'd been playing in her head for the past few days, but she continued staring at the ceiling as it played in her mind over and over. "You just need to leave…"

Lindsay closed her eyes and thought of Flack's voice. She knew it was personal. That it was the closest he'd ever come to loving her so much it hurt. He must've been crushed when he misheard her words.

Lindsay rolled onto her side, and curled herself up into a ball – crying again. She didn't think she had the strength to go another round, and she though about how she know she'd always love him and whether she wanted to figure out how to go on without him. Lindsay was unsure of how long she cried, because she drifted back off to sleep.

When Lindsay woke up she wasn't sure how long she had been asleep. The apartment had grown dark without the sun streaming through the windows or lights having been turned on. After a minute of rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and reorienting herself, Lindsay pulled herself out of her reverie and went to the bathroom to wash her face before shuffling into the kitchen. She glanced at the microwave. It was almost nine and she hadn't eaten since breakfast, but as she opened the fridge to look for something, her stomach churning, Lindsay heard the distinctive rumble of her voice mail.

Reaching out for the coffee table and fumbling around, Lindsay finally found her cell phone. She flipped it open to reveal three messages waiting for her. Punching in her access code, Lindsay held her phone to her ear and listened.

Stella's voice rang out first.

"_Lindsay? It's Stella. , I'm a little worried about you. Why don't we have a girls night out? Dinner tonight? I'll even cook and bring it over so you don't have to go out. What do you think? Give me a call back."_

Lindsay mentally noted that she needed to call Stella back and decline the invitation. As she was coming up with the perfect excuse to tell Stella, Lindsay couldn't help but smile at the sound of the next voice.

"_Hey babe, it's Danny. My evidence is in DNA and I had some time to kill, so I'm checking in with ya. Hey, Montana, listen… I don't know if you know or even want to know, but I saw Flack this afternoon and he's being released tonight. He's staying with his parents for a while. Well, uh, call me if you want to talk. I'll be around the lab all night. Night, Montana."_

Danny's message left Lindsay stunned for a moment. She was trying to wrap her head around what Danny had told her when a familiar interrupted her thoughts.

"_Linds… hi, it's Don. Listen Linds…. I'm…. never mind."_

Lindsay wanted to cry when she heard Flack's voice. It wasn't just that she missed him that much, but it was the way he sounded. Lindsay jumped up, grabbed her things and rushed out of the apartment.

_**Thanks to ChocoBetty for pointing out the problem!**_


	14. Seriously

**Sorry it's taken so long to update… hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Close to thirty minutes later, Lindsay found herself standing on the doorstep of the Flack residence. Lindsay had only been here twice, but she had to admit that the Flack's and their house had always impressed her. To the normal passerby it looked like any other brownstone in NY, but Lindsay wasn't just _any_ New Yorker, the house was impressive, both inside and out.

Lindsay rang the bell and waited. She bounced up and down slightly on the balls of her feet and alternated between staring at the door to staring down at the ground. Lindsay was about to turn around and leave when the door opened. The housekeeper showed her inside just as Flack's mother appeared.

"Lindsay? It's nice to see you dear." Mrs. Flack said warmly.

"Thanks. It's, uh, nice to see you too…" Lindsay replied. Lindsay was a little unsure about how much Flack's mother knew about the state of their relationship.

"You must be here to see Don. He's right through there." Flack's mother said as she motioned through a door into another room.

Lindsay smiled as a reply of her thanks and turned the corner to walk into the large sitting room where Flack was supposed to be. When Lindsay got to the doorway, she stopped abruptly. There was a tall, blond girl sitting next to Flack with her hand resting gently on his shoulder. Lindsay paused for a moment, deciding what to make of the scene in front of her. When Lindsay sneezed involuntarily, the decision was made for her.

"Oh." The blond said to Flack, seeing Lindsay standing in the doorway. "You have company. I should be going. I'll see you tomorrow." The girl smiled at Flack and he nodded in reply. As she passed Lindsay in the doorway, the blond smiled at her too.

"You just going to stand in the doorway all night?" Flack asked.

"Oh. I guess not." Lindsay said. All of a sudden, all the energy that she had had seemed to escape her body. Lindsay felt shy and confused. Had she done the right thing coming over here? Who had that girl been? "I, uh, got your call."

At first Flack narrowed his eyes and looked at Lindsay like she was crazy, but slowly he remembered the call she was referring to.

"Yeah, about that… I was just… It was a mistake. Just forget it." Flack said. Lindsay could have sworn that he sounded downright sad when he told her to forget about it.

"Okay." Lindsay said. She wasn't too sure where to take this visit. "Look, I didn't mean to interrupt. You know, with you and your… _friend_. I should have called first."

Flack chuckled. A genuine smile crossed his face.

"You're jealous!" He accused, trying his best not to outright laugh at Lindsay.

"What?" Lindsay said, walking over to Flack with a looked on her face that demanded an explanation.

"The blond that you're jealous of… that's Kate. She's my physical therapist." Flack explained between chuckles. He looked up to see that Lindsay didn't really find it as amusing as he did.

"When I got your message, I thought that you needed me. That you were in trouble." Lindsay said, changing the subject.

"I'll always need you." Flack said quietly, looking away. Flack could sense something change in Lindsay. Suddenly she melted just a little and they were both the Lindsay and Flack that everyone had known before the bombing. But as quickly as he noticed the change in Lindsay, he saw another change come over her.

"You have some way of showing it." Lindsay snapped at Flack.

"Linds…"

"No, Don. You say you love me and that you need me, but you push me away and tell me that you don't want to see me again. I know I screwed up with Danny, but you don't get to say all those things and push me away at the same time." Lindsay stopped and looked at Flack. The use of his first name had gotten his attention and he looked as if he didn't know whether to feel ashamed of the way he had been treating Lindsay or hurt by her words.

Flack shifted in his chair with a bit of difficulty, trying to maneuver himself closer to Lindsay.

"I thought you were talking about me. You know, in the hospital. I heard you say those things, and even if you weren't talking about me… it was true. You were with me all the time. I was keeping you from your life. You were better off without me. What else was I supposed to do?" Flack said. He didn't have the courage to look Lindsay in the eyes. He sighed as he finished asking his question and stared at a point on the carpet in front of him.

"Seriously, Don. What were you _supposed_ to do?" Lindsay shook her head, her hands emphasizing her emotions by whirling wildly. "I don't know, maybe you should have said something. You should have told me about how you felt instead of running and hiding. We had a life together…a future. God, I thought you knew me, Don." Lindsay started walking away. She didn't get very far before she turned on her heel to face Don again. "I thought I knew _you_. How could you do this to me? How can you push anyone away? What's happened to the man I fell in love with? That man wouldn't destroy someone and rob them of their dreams, and that's what you've done. The only thing I've ever wanted is to be loved, feel safe and be with you… but you've ruined that for me. I can't fight for something that you don't want too."

Again, Lindsay turned and was ready to storm off. As if by magic, she could feel the weight of her keys in her pocket. Slowly, Lindsay reached into her pocket and pulled the key to Flack's apartment off of her key ring. Without turning around to face Flack, she gently laid the key on the table next to her and walked away.

Slowly Flack shook off his shock and focused his eyes on the table where Lindsay's hand had just been. He knew she meant business as soon as she had started using his first name. As he shifted a bit, a beam of light hit the shiny metal and Flack's eyes caught the glint. He sank back down into the chair, physically and emotionally defeated, and let his head fall into his hands as he realized the enormity of Lindsay's words.

Flack had never meant to hurt her. He had only meant to give Lindsay a chance to live her own life instead of being tied up in his. But now Flack realized that Lindsay's life was part of his, and his life was part of hers.


	15. Freeze

A few days later, Flack was just finishing up with physical therapy when his cell phone rang.

"Danny, my man, what's up?" Flack said into the phone.

"You gotta do something Flack." Danny replied. He sounded almost frantic. "You gotta talk to her."

"Who?" Flack asked blindly, although he knew who Danny was talking about.

"You know who! Montana! Lindsay! She's driving me crazy! Flack, she's cleaning!" Danny complained.

"You know, Danny, most guys would kill to have a girl clean up after them." Flack laughed.

"No, man. She's reorganized the whole place. She alphabetized my DVD's. She folded my underwear! My underwear, Flack! Dude, you gotta do something. Apologize, grovel, kidnap her… I don't care. But she's got to go!" Flack held the phone away from his ear; Danny's rant had gotten loud.

Flack knew that Lindsay had been staying at Danny's ever since she left her key at his parent's place. He had tried calling her or seeing her, but Lindsay wasn't having any part of it.

"Flack, she's gonna be at the apartment all afternoon. Go talk to her. You've got a key. But whatever you do, do something!"

Danny and Flack wrapped up their conversation and Flack was left thinking about how he was going to get over to Danny's and try again to fix his relationship.

* * *

Flack had spent two hours trying to get Lindsay to answer her phone. He had spent the next thirty minutes trying to get Lindsay to buzz him up. Finally, now that a neighbor had let him into Danny's building, Flack was standing at Danny's door. He fumbled with his keys, looking for the spare key to Danny's apartment. He stopped for a moment to lean against the wall, taking some of the pressure off of his side and alleviating some pain.

Flack grunted out loud when he realized that the key to Danny's apartment wasn't on his key ring. Flack's foot connected with the door in frustration and he pulled out his pocketknife in an attempt to jimmy the door open.

Feeling a wave of pride and satisfaction wash over him Flack got Danny's door to finally pop open. Looking around, he saw the bedroom door close quickly and quietly. Flack walked through the living room towards the bedroom.

"Lindsay? Lindsay, I know you're in there. Let's talk. Please." Flack said as he walked.

"Go away, Don. I don't want to talk." Lindsay yelled from behind the door.

"This is stupid! Let me in so we can talk!" Flack said, knocking forcefully on solid, bedroom door.

Lindsay resisted the urge to reply and just stared silently at the door.

"You're acting like a child!" Flack yelled gruffly.

"I'm acting like a child? I'm acting like a child! I am mature enough to recognize how to behave in a relationship! I know when to back off! And I don't break into someone's house banging down their door to force them to listen to me!" Lindsay yelled through the bedroom door.

Satisfied that at least she was talking again Flack banged on her door again just to be contrary while he thought of a reply.

"I'm not going to say I'm sorry! I have nothing to be sorry for! It was a mistake! I made a mistake!" He added a bang for each word in his sentence.

"Some mistake." Lindsay grumbled.

Flack groaned deeply and leaned his head against the door. He turned around and slowly slid down so he was sitting on the floor. Deciding honesty was the only thing that Lindsay would listen to Flack took a deep breath and began.

"I did it because it was easy." He says talking loudly enough so that Lindsay could hear him through the door. "There were no considerations and no complications. I didn't want to hurt you and I didn't want to get hurt _by_ you. Pushing you away was easiest. But it was a mistake. I know that. I knew it then, but I get it now."

"Ruining our relationship never crossed your mind? Never took that into consideration huh?" Lindsay's voice yelled back through the door.

"You're perfect Linds. You're smart, beautiful and you have everything going for you. I'm some washed up cop boy who needs help getting around. Everything sucks and while my world is crumbling down yours is still perfect. I'm no good for you."

Lindsay moved closer to the door listening intently to Flack. There was absolute silence. Flack couldn't hear anything through the door. With some difficulty, Flack got his feet back under him and stood back up.

"Lindsay, you're going to open this door and talk to me one way or the other!" Flack yelled, pounding on the door again. Flack looked around a little frantically, his eyes finally coming to rest on an umbrella. Picking up the umbrella, Flack started pounding it against the doorknob, hoping to get the door open before the pain and exhaustion overtook him.

Lindsay jumped back from door. The new pounding sound took her by surprise. A small grin almost spread across Lindsay's face. There was a part of this that she found endearing and amusing. The rest of this display from Flack she just found annoying and infuriating. Lindsay was about to tell Flack just that when she heard another voice on the other side of the door.

"NYPD! Freeze! Sir, put down the weapon! Drop the weapon and stand against the door!"

Lindsay heard the thump of a body being shoved against the door and some scuffling of feet. Before she knew what was happening, an army of footsteps walked away from the door and a new voice yelled through the wood.

"Miss? Are you okay in there? It's safe to come out. Miss? I'm Officer Thompson with the NYPD."

Lindsay slowly opened the door to see a young officer staring at her. He rushed a few steps into the room, gently touching Lindsay on the elbow.

"Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?" Officer Thompson asked.

Lindsay looked at Officer Thompson as if he were crazy. "What's going on? Why would I need to go to the hospital?"

"We received a report of breaking, entering and a domestic disturbance, miss." Officer Thompson explained. "When we arrived, the man that had broken into the apartment was attempting to break down the door to get to you. It's fine now, though. He's been taken into custody."

Lindsay looked past Officer Thompson and caught a brief glimpse of Flack. He was being escorted out of Danny's apartment, his hands cuffed behind his back. Lindsay could tell how exhausted he was and that he was in pain as he limped beside Officer Thompson's partner. Flack's head was hanging as he looked at the ground. He didn't look back at Lindsay.

"Oh my God." Was all that Lindsay could say.


	16. All Locked Up

On her way to the precinct, Lindsay's stomach was tied in knots and her head was spinning. What had started as a way to make Flack grovel had turned into Flack being hauled off to jail. How had all this happened?

Lindsay rushed into the precinct where Flack was. She looked around quickly, attempting to find Flack and deciding on the best course of action to fix the mess that she felt responsible for creating.

"Ma'am? Can I help you?" An officer asked.

"Yes sir." Lindsay answered. She pulled out her badge and flashed it at the officer. "I'm Detective Lindsay Monroe. I think you have a friend of mine here. I'd like to speak with him. Don Flack?"

"Yeah. We got him back here, Detective Monroe." The officer said, motioning to an interrogation room in the back of the precinct. Lindsay and the officer walked silently through the hustle and bustle of the precinct until they reached the door of the interrogation room. Lindsay peeked through the small window in the door and saw Flack sitting at the bare, metal table. He was hunched over, his elbows resting on the table and his head in his hands. "You can go on in and talk to him if you want. We're still trying to sort out what happened at the girl's apartment."

Lindsay nodded in appreciation to the officer and slowly pushed the door open. Flack didn't raise his head or look up as she walked over to him.

"I got my call and I said I ain't talking until my friend gets here." Flack spat out gruffly. Lindsay knew he was upset. His New York and Yonkers accent was deeper and more pronounced. Lindsay rarely heard him this way.

"You'll probably need these." Lindsay said quietly, setting two prescription pill bottles on the table in front of him.

Hearing Lindsay's voice, Flack's head snapped up. He smiled a sarcastic smile and laughed. Nodding his head and accepting that this wasn't a dream, Flack stopped laughing, gauged Lindsay's mood and began talking.

"How'd you know?" Flack asked, tilting his head towards the medication on the table.

"You looked like you were hurting when they… when you left Danny's apartment." Lindsay had been about to say 'when they arrested you', but she chose not to remind Flack why they were sitting in an NYPD interrogation room. "The other one your mom said you would need to take, so she gave it to me when I stopped by."

"Oh god." Flack groaned. "Did you tell my mother where I am?"

Lindsay smiled. She thought it was cute that Flack was afraid of what his mother thought.

"No. I just told her that you and I were meeting up later so I was picking up some things you needed because I didn't want you to have to go across town." Lindsay explained. "She didn't think twice before handing over your meds. In fact, she hugged me. A lot."

"That's my mom for ya." Flack said with a smile. "She's always liked you." The smile faded from Flack's face as he remembered where he was. "How did you get back here, anyway?"

"I flashed my badge. It does come in handy now and then." Lindsay explained. Flack didn't say anything more and continued to avoid Lindsay's gaze. He reached out, popped the top off of one of the prescription bottle and swallowed two pills with a gulp of water.

"Seriously, Don. Are you okay?" Lindsay asked. She sounded serious and genuinely concerned. Flack was worrying Lindsay. "Don, why didn't you just tell them who you were?"

Lindsay sank down into the empty chair next to Flack, willing him to look at her.

"Because I'd be one of those scumbags that I hate." Flack said quickly. "You know, the guys who commit stupid crimes and then use their connections and their influence to get out of it. I'd be no better than those guys." Flack paused for a moment. Lindsay was about to jump back into the conversation when Flack cut her off. "Plus… I didn't have my badge."

Suddenly, Lindsay started giggling. Her giggling turned into laughter. Flack, who was a little taken aback, looked up and stared at her in disbelief.

"I'm glad you find all this funny, Linds. I'm the one sitting in a police station and being charged with a long list of crimes and you're sitting there laughing at me." Flack huffed. He sighed and sank back into his chair, feeling his growing aggravation with Lindsay and the numbing effects of the medication.

Lindsay finished her last laugh and tugged on Flack's hand.

"I'm just thinking about how one day you'll sit back and tell your grandkids that you once got arrested just to get your girlfriend back." Lindsay said with a smile playing across her lips.

"Yeah, well, that may not be the story I tell the grandkids. I don't know if I got my girlfriend back yet." Flack looked up and looked into Lindsay's eyes. He could see that behind the giggles and laughter there were tears threatening to make themselves known. "God, Linds. I didn't mean to scare you or make you feel threatened. You've got to know that. I'd never hurt you, Linds. I love you."

Lindsay laughed and playfully hit Flack in the shoulder.

"Stop apologizing you schmuck! I know you weren't trying to hurt me!" Lindsay said, hitting him again, just a bit lighter. "This is all my fault! You were right when you said I was acting childish. I didn't open the door because I was being stubborn. If I had just been mature and opened the door, the police never would have walked in on you trying to break it down."

"Damn right this is your fault!" Flack said. He wagged his finger in Lindsay's face. There was a smirk spreading across his face, and suddenly Flack knew that he and Lindsay were going to be okay. Lindsay rolled her eyes at Flack's comment.

"No. I'm wrong." Flack corrected himself.

"You're taking responsibility for all this?" Lindsay asked skeptically.

"No. It's still not all my fault. This is all Danny's fault!" Flack said, banging the table for emphasis.

As soon as Flack banged the table, the door to the interrogation room swung open and an officer walked through the door. He looked from Flack to Lindsay and back to Flack before clearing his throat.

"Detectives? You guys doing okay?" The officer asked.

Neither Lindsay nor Flack missed the fact that the officer had addressed both of them as a detective. Flack nodded and Lindsay just smiled at the officer.

"So, we got things cleared up." The officer continued. "Detective Flack, your friend is here and has explained everything. He told us exactly what happened and that you had his permission to break down the door."

Flack looked instantly relieved. He rubbed his hand over his eyes and then up and down the back of his neck, releasing some of the tension that had built up.

"We're sorry about all this Detective Flack. You're free to go. Is there anything you need from us?"

Flack and Lindsay rose up out of their chairs, ready to leave the precinct. Flack stopped after taking a few steps and held up his hand to stop the officer.

"I've got one question. Who called in the disturbance? Was it the little old annoying lady down the hall?" Flack asked.

"No. Not a lady. Some guy with a thick Staten Island accent." The officer replied.

"Thanks."

Flack and Lindsay walked out into the bustling precinct.

"Dude! They letting you go?" Danny's voice rang out as he shouted across the desks and policemen.

"Yeah, man." Flack said, walking up to clap Danny on the back. "Thanks for coming and clearing all this up. I owe you."

"Nah, man. Don't worry about it. And hey, look who you picked up along the way!" Danny exclaimed looking over at Lindsay. "Montana, I didn't know you had a thing for _bad boys_. These are things you should tell a guy _before_ you start dating. If you had given him a heads up he could've just shaved his head or gotten a piercing, he wouldn't have had to go get arrested."

"And this is who you call to get you out of jail. Brilliant." Lindsay said as she rolled her eyes and looked at Flack. He had turned around to ignore Danny and focus on Lindsay.

"I was thinking of going home to my apartment instead of my parent's place." Flack said. Lindsay couldn't tell if he was just making a statement, or if there was an air of hopefulness in his tone. "Come home, Lindsay. Please. We've spent enough time apart. I want you back. I was being stupid before. Please come home."

"How can a girl say no to someone who's willing to break and enter to prove himself to her?" Instead of giving Flack a straightforward answer, Lindsay rose up onto her tiptoes, snaked her hand behind Flack's head and pulled him into a kiss. Lindsay deepened the kiss and she could feel Flack's body respond. It wasn't until she heard Danny clear his throat that she remembered that they were in the middle of a police station.

"I'll take that as a yes." Flack said, smiling. "Plus, if you're going to fold anyone's underwear, better damn well be mine."

Lindsay, Flack and Danny walked out of the police station and onto the streets of New York. Flack had to admit; it would feel good to go home. It would feel even better to have Lindsay there with him.

"Danny, you know I don't think I've ever had a spare key for your place." Flack added. Flack didn't seem to think that this fact was important. He casually moved onto another topic, walking just slightly ahead of Lindsay and Danny. However, the gears in Lindsay's head were turning.

"Messer! You set him up. He never had a key, but you sent him over to your apartment anyway." Lindsay restated. Danny just took a breath and worked on looking casual and calm. "And a guy with an accent like yours reported him to the police – not one of your nosey neighbors. What did you do, Danny?"

Danny stopped walking and pulled Lindsay to a stop next to him. The trademark Messer grin was plastered across his face. "I'm not saying I did or didn't do anything. But, look… you two are back together and everything's gonna work out. This was my chance to fix the mess I made."

"Thanks, Danny." Lindsay said, smiling and jogging to catch back up with Flack.

"Not a problem, Montana." Danny said, even though Lindsay couldn't hear him anymore. "What are friends for?"

* * *

_**I know... kind of a long chapter and a cheesy ending, but I needed to wrap it up. Thanks for reading!**_


End file.
